Hydraulic power plant



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Sept. 8, 1931. A. v. GEARY HYDRAULIC POWER PLANT 5 Sheets-Shea?.

I l I I l I I I I l I I Filedv June l5', 1929 ATTOR NEY Sept. 8, 1931. A. v. GEARY HYDRAULIC POWER PLANT Filed June` 15, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 -i l I l 1 l i I l I |4 l i U ATTORNEY Sept. 8, 1931. A. v. GEARY HYDRAULIC POWER PLANT Filed June l5, '1929. 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FI O O Patented Sept. 8, 1931 ALBERT VICTOR GiEiARY, F WESTVI'LL'E, NYENVi HAMPSHIRE VHYDRATULIC .POWER ,PLANT Application led June 1 5,

This invention relates to a 'hydraulio -p ower plant, the general object of the invention beingto 'provide a ioat'operated by tide or wavemotion orby anyrise and ff'all of water g level, natural or artificial, vand la weighted body fconnected therewith 'for accelerating the Adownward movement of the float, `lwith means vfor1transmitting the upward movep mentof 4theiloat and the fdownwardmove- 1U ment*- of the body to a driven fmember.

Another obj ect of tl-re invention 'isftolprovideme'ans -for imparting motion tothe bec-ly during abnormal movements of the 'float which is greater 5than that imparted tothe body under 'normal movements lof "theloa't,

whereby energy -i-s storedand isre'leased duringsubnormalaotion o'fthe oat, whieha'ets to increase the Aperiod of f'time "the `driven member-receives power Erom'thebody and thus compensates fforfthe 'subnormal :motions of theloat.

A further objeot of the invention is to provide governor `means 'for controllingthe compensatingaction-ofthe device.

This invention also consists incertain other features of construction iand in the I'combi-l nation and arrangement ofthe severalparts, to behereinafter IfullyI describech' illustrated Y l in the accompanyingdrawings'and s 'peeifical-ly: pointedlout1 in the appende'df claims.

In describing the invention inadetail,reterence will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein Elike characters denote like lor' v corresponding `lpartsfthroughoutfthe several 35 views, and in which f Figure l is an elevation, partly `Iinjseotion, -sliowirrg'one Vw-ayl of AA"carrying out f the.

invention. p

lFigure 2 isatop 'pl-anrvew.

"40 Figure 3 fis a seotiomonline 13`3-o ig-y ure 1. Figure 4 isa Ksection 101i line of @Fig ure 3. y Figure 5 is jaseet-fionon*linen-5pt Figure -1. H

:Figure 6 is va view, partly 'in-sejotio-n; of

the governor Controlled" means.

`Injthese views the "numeral Qlinol-ioates ^'a l base placed ina body'of-waten theleve'laof 0 which manges, either-newgimeearmeans 1929. serial No. l3715161.

orlbynaturalimeanasuchasyin-the latter ease, by the waives andA tides.` This lbase supports the lowerends ofithexposts 2y and thebase has a-eentral projection 3 thereon which assoc-lteted to rreceive the bearing sleeve l and the ball bearing 5 for the lower end ofthe shaft 6. Afcapp'lat-e( isloonnlected wi-ththe upper ends of fthe posts '2 and "the shaft 6 passes through saidlplateland a spider 8 is fastened to the plate and carries the bear-ingfpart v9 containing the-balllbearing 410 forfthe upper end -oftheshaift As will `loe seen, the vball bearingsaot` asthrustbearings for the shaft. vA 'fioat 11 has a-central passage therein through which the shai't passesfthe passage having an enlargedloweriend for receiving a part of the proj e'c'tionB when the float lisi-in lowere'dqoositi'lom` as Vshown in @Figure l. The float is also formed with ythe `passages "12 through which the fpos'tsj-pass; rollers 'lBbeing arranged insaitljpassages'forpreventingtrio tion between lthe posts andthe Heat-during the'movement of't'heffloat.

The lower'part -of the lshaftii's formed with they spiral grooves 141 -andthe upperV part with the VopposI-tely 'arranged spiral grooves 15. Spring-pressed detente -1'65 engage the grooves M andthesedetents areloarried by a rotary member l7rotatably arranged in thetop of A the-float and through which-'the shaft passes,

the lower lpart 'of Vthe :member 1 carrying the spring pressed pawls 18 for engaging the rat'chetring 1'9";attao`hed tothe underf-ace' of the;topofthei-iioat, These'par-ts :are so arranged thatas the-ffloatfmov'es yupwardlythe pawls ywill engage'-the ratchet ringand thus lock-ltherotaryffmember 17 to the Afloat so that the u'pwardgmovement/o'fthe float willfoause the detentsflftorotate the shaft 6.' -@nlithe downward movement oflthe Yfloat, the pawls will' ratehet over ftheiring andthus the member y17 willfsimpl-y rotate and the detente will move down the. groovesfin1 the shaft without imparting movement thereto. rFhus 'it'will beiseen that ithe float will\rotate thefsha'ft on the upward movement ofthe ioat, but --will notl actuate ther shaftI on? its downward vmovement.

y A cylinder QOfhasits lower `endastenedato thetop othefrfloat and aflangeE 21 isconn'ected with the top of the cylinder, said flange carrying the rollers 22 on which is seated a ring member 23 which is provided with the depending flanges 24 having their lower edges bent over the ends of the rollers so that the ring is rotatably supported on the cylinder and is so connected therewith that the ring member must follow the movements of the cylinder. This ring member is provided with the internal spiral teeth 25 and a second ring member 26 has exterior spiral teeth 27 which engage the teeth 25. A platform 28 is fastened to the ring member 26 and at the center of the platform a rotary member 17 is arranged, which is similar tothe member 17 and carries the detents 16 which engage the upper grooves 15, and said rotary member also carries the pawls 18 for engaging the ratchetl ring 19 on the under face of the platform. These parts are so arranged that on the upward movement of the platform, the rotary member will simply revolve with its pawls ratcheting over the ratchet ring and the detents moving in the grooves 15 without turning the shaft. On the downward movement of the platform, however, the rotary member 17 will be locked to the platform by the pawls and ratchet ring and thus the de-l tents 16( will cause the shaft to turn in the same direction that the shaft is turned by the upward movement of the float.

A worm gear 29 is fastened to the top part of the shaft 6, above the top plate, and meshes with a worm 30 on the driven shaft 31 having a part journaled on the top plate,whereby the motion of the spiral shaft will be transmitted to the driven shaft. This driven shaft carries a small worm gear 32 which meshes with a worm 33 Von the upperrend ofv avertically arranged shaft 34 journaled in the top plate and in a bracket 35 secured to one of the posts 2 below the platform.v Theshaft passes through the platform and has splined to its lower part a hub 36 which is rotatablysup-V ported on the platform by the. anti-friction means 37. This hub is formed with the beveled gear 38 and the gear 39. The ,latter gear meshes with a gear.` 4() fastened tothe governor shaft 41 having its lower end journaled in the plat-form. ,The weighted arms 42 of the governor are connected by the links 43 with the slide 44 on the governor shaft.

A lever 45 is pivotedto the post 46 on the platform and both ends of this lever are forked. The prongs at the long -part ofthe lever carry the threaded shaft 47 on lwhich are placed the adjustable stops or nuts `4,8 for engaging projections on the slide 44. Thus the movement of the slide bythe gov-j ernor arms will be imparted tothe lever and the movement of the lever can beA regulated by adjusting the stops or nuts Von theshaft 47. The prongs on the short part of thelever engage grooves formed in the ends of the friction spool49 splined tof a vertical shaft the ring member 23. A shaft 53 is journaled in the posts 54 on the platform and has a-` friction cone 55 at one end engaging either part of the friction spool, according to the position the spool has been moved into` by the forked lever 45. A beveled gear 56l is loosely arranged on a stub shaft 57 carriedf by the platform and meshes with the beveled gear 38. `This stub shaft is in alignment with the shaft 53 and said shaft 53 carries a fly wheel 58 which carries the ratchet teeth 59 engaged by the pawls 60 on the end of the stub shaft. A housing61 encloses the spool 49 and the parts associated therewith. y

As will be seen, the governonthe gear carrying hub 36, the leverA 45, shaft 53shaft 50 and the parts associated with these parts are carried by the platform and move therewith and act to impart weight to the platform.

As before'statedthe upward movement of the float will imparta rotary movement to the shaft 6 in one direction and as the platform raises with the Hoat, the detents of the. platform will not act on the shaft. On the downward movement, the fioat detents will not act on the shaft, but the detents of the platform will rotate the shaft in the same direction that it was turned by the upward movement of the oat. .Thus the upward and downward movements of the parts will give the shaft a continuous rotary movement in the same direction which is imparted to the driven shaft by the worm gearing. s

Thismovement of thevdriven shaft is transmitted to the shaft 434V by the worm gearing 32 and 33 and the movement of the shaft 34 is transmitted tothe .governor by the gears 39 and 40 and tothe stub shaft 57 bythe gears 38 andk 56. The stub shaft `drives the shaft 53 through the ,ratchet mechanism. 59 and'60. -ndernormal ymovements of the float,the governor is vdriven at suclra speed that it `will hold Athe lever '45 ina Aposition with the spool 49 out of engagement with the cone 55 so that the shaft 50 andthe pinion 51 will not be rotated. f

i However,l if the float shouldA be raised in anabnormal manner, the `greater Vspeed of the shaft 6 Would be imparted to thje governor and thuscausethe weighted arms Vof the same to swingoutwardly and` raise the slide to a point where it will move the lever 45and cause thek same to shift thespool 49 downwardly, where its upper flange will engage the cone 55 on shaft 53, whichis being driven from theshaft 34. Thus the spool will be rotated to rotate the shaft: 50 audits pinion 51 and cause the'epinion torotate the ring member 23, the threadsof which',.en gagingfthe threads of I,the member 26, will cause saijdmember 26j to, rise and move the platform upwardly a greater dista-nce from the float. Thus energy is stored in the weighted platform and when subnormal movements of the float occur, the governor arms will drop, thus shifting the spool to a point where its lower flange will engage the cone so that the shaft pinion 51 will be driven bers to lower the platform toward its normal position. This will give the shaft 6 more movement than it receives from the downward movement of the platform after the same has been raised by the normal movement of the float, and thus this eXtra movement of the shaft by the platform will compensate for the loss of movement of the shaft by the subnormal movement of the float. This lowering action of the platform will only continue until the speed becomes normal and the platform will not always get down to its normal or lowest position. It will only go toward that normal position until its force has raised the speed to normal.

At the beginning of the slowing up movement of the shaft 6 by the subnormal movement of the float, there is a possibility of the device stalling before the weight of the platform starts on its downward compensating or bolstering motion. This stalling is avoided by using the fly wheel 58 which gives its shaft considerable momentum and thus starts the initial movement Vof the ring member 23 by the pinion 51, this movement being continued by the weight of thc platform and the parts thereon. The ratchet mechanism enables the fly wheel to act in this manner.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is l. A hydraulic power plant comprising a float, a weighted platform movably connected therewith, a shaft having oppositely arranged spirals thereon, means including vmeans engaging one spiral for directly imparting rotary motion in one direction to the shaft on the upward movement of the float and means including means engaging the other spiral for directly imparting rotary motion to the shaft in the same direction on the downward movement of the platform.

2. A hydraulic power plant comprising a float, a weighted platform movably connected therewith, a shaft, means for directly imparting rotary movement in one direction to the shaft on the upward movement of the float, means for directly imparting rotary s movement to the shaft in the same direction tenure ue'wnwara movement fiuiefplaffnh `and "means fbr *imparting 'moveiii'nt to "the 5 bodyrelati'velto theflciat1 on abnormalmovevments-'ofthefloatwlrerebytlepltform'will fiin'pat *a compensating lmo'vem'ent vito the f sha'ft J.during subnormal movemnts 'df the float. f i

in a reverse direction to cause the ring mem- 'f '3. A hydraulic Ipower 'pliant' comprising ia means iiicludin'gl spirallyithreaded members, a shaft, means for imparting rotary movement to the shaft in one direction onthe upward movement of the float, means for` imparting rotary motion to the shaft in the same direction on the downward movement of the body, means for imparting movement to one of the spirally threaded members on abnormal movements of the float whereby the body will be raised relative to the float and thus impart a compensating motion to the haft during subnormal movements of the oat.

l. A hydraulic power plant comprising a float, a weighted body, means for rotatably supporting the body from the float, such means includingl spirally threaded members, a shaft, means for imparting rotary movement to the shaft in one direction on the upward movement of the float, means for imparting rotary motion to the shaft in the' same direction on the downward movement of the body, means for imparting movement to one of the spirally threaded members on l tents carried by the float and the body for '1? 'a engaging the grooves and oppositely arranged ratchet means carried by the float and body and associated with the detents whereby the float will impart rotary movement to the shaft on its upward movement without moving the shaft on its downward movement and the body will impart rotary movement to the shaft on its downward movement without rotating the shaft on its upward movement.

f 6. A hydraulic power plant comprising a float, a weighted platform, a member attached to the iioat and rotatably supporting the platform, a shaft, means for directly imparting rotary movement to the shaft in one Eliao ffies direction on the kupward movement of the float, means for directly imparting rotary movement to the shaft in the same direction on the downward movement of the platform and means for moving the platform relative to the float during abnormal movements of the oat whereby a compensating action will be imparted to the shaft by the platform during subnormal movements of the float.

In testimony whereof ll aix my signature.

ALBERT VICTOR GEARY.

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